Smiley face murder theory

Smiley face murder theory

The Smiley face murder theory (variations include Smiley face murders, Smiley face killings, Smiley face gang, and others) is a theory advanced by two retired New York City detectives, Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte, that a number of young men found dead in bodies of water across several states over the last decade did not accidentally drown, as concluded by law enforcement agencies, but were victims of a serial killer or killers.

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Gannon and Duarte’s investigation

As recently as 2008, Gannon and Duarte were examining evidence[1] going back to the late 1990s that they believe connects the deaths of 40 or more college-age males, whose dead bodies were found in water in 11 states, often after leaving parties or bars where they were drinking. The men, according to the former detectives, have often fit a profile of being popular, athletic, and good students, and most were white.[2]

Gannon and Duarte have theorized that the young men were all murdered, either by an individual or by an organized group of killers.[2][3] The term smiley face became connected to the alleged murders when it was made public that Gannon and Duarte had discovered graffiti depicting a smiley face near locations where they think the killer dumped the bodies in at least a dozen of the cases.

Reception of the theory

In March 2009, Lee Gilbertson, a criminal justice faculty member at St. Cloud State University, voiced his support for the theory on an episode of Larry King Live which discussed the alleged murders.[4]

Other police forces that have investigated the deaths dispute the conclusion that the cases are linked. The La Crosse, Wisconsin police force, which was in charge of eight of the investigations, released an official statement reiterating their original conclusions that the deaths were accidental drownings of inebriated men and stating that no smiley face symbols were found in connection with any of these cases.[5]

Criminal profiler Pat Brown calls the serial killer theory “ludicrous”, arguing that the evidence does not fit what is known about serial killers. Brown also believes that the smiley face images found in some of the cases are likely nothing more than coincidences based upon making a guess at where the body entered the water and searching a wide area until an example of smiley face graffiti can be found. “It’s not an unusual symbol,” she told Matt Smith of the Minneapolis-based newspaper City Pages. “If you look in an area five miles square, I bet you could find a smiley face.”[6]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also issued a statement indicating that they do not agree with Gannon and Duarte’s belief that there is a serial killer at work:

“…The FBI has reviewed the information about the victims provided by two retired police detectives, who have dubbed these incidents the “Smiley Face Murders,” and interviewed an individual who provided information to the detectives. To date, we have not developed any evidence to support links between these tragic deaths or any evidence substantiating the theory that these deaths are the work of a serial killer or killers. The vast majority of these instances appear to be alcohol-related drownings. The FBI will continue to work with the local police in the affected areas to provide support as requested…”[7]

One member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI), has requested that the FBI re-open its investigation.[8]